Track shoe



H. A. KNOX Jan. 22, 1946.

TRACK SHOE Filed Feb. 8, 1943 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Hurry A.Knux

' "Jan. 22, 1946..

' l-i. A. KNOX- TRACK: sno'r: Filed Feb. 8, 1943 2" Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 22, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRACK SHOE Harry A. Knox, Washington, D. C. v Application February 8, 1943, Serial No. 475,162

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

1 Claim.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Govermnent for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a shoe for track laying vehicles, particularly to a fabricated track shoe.

It has been the practice to date to make track shoe frames from castings which are machined to a suitable finish, the machining including the boring of. holes in the frames for the pivot pins. Such machining operations are difficult and costly; moreover, castings are liable to warp or crack.

-It is the principal object'of this invention to provide a track shoe frame Which is built up, or fabricated, to make a track shoe better able to withstand the punishment of service conditions. This is accomplished by a pair of integrating members and transverse members bridging the integrating members'to form the frame for the shoe. The transverse members are preferably drop forged, and are provided with holes to receive the integrating members. At least the end members are preferably made integral with the integrating members as by solderin or welding. Each transverse member has a ground engaging projection at one end, and the members are so disposed side by side on the supports that their ground engaging projections together form,

ground cleats instaggered relation.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of two shoes of a track made according to the invention. This view shows the surface that the tank wheels ride upon.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of two track shoes, showing the ground engaging surface of the track.

Fig. 3 is a view in sectionon line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section substantially on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an end transverse member.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a support member 2 is shown. The members 2 will be arranged in pairs, one pair to a track shoe; see Fig. 4. Each member is preferably tubular, substantially circular in cross section. Transverse members 4, elongated in form, are shown as provided with openings 6 to engage or receive members 2. Members 4 are disposed side by side and bridging a'pair of members, as seen in Fig. 4.

' her, at least the end members 4a will preferably,

amended April 30. 1928; 370 0. G. 757) To form the track shoe frameinto a solid membe made integral with members 2, as by soldering (hard or soft) or welding. It will usually be found desirable, however, to make all the members 4 integral with the integral members to insure a rigid frame. To this end, holes/6 are chamfered as at 8. Adjacent members 4 thereby form annular spaces around the member 2 which are adapted to receive wire rings of solder or brass at the time of assembly. These rings are not shown, because of course they are used up" in the subsequent heat treatment in which the assembled tubes and transverse members are heated to a temperature sufiicient to melt the solder or brass.

Each transverse member '4 is provided with a ground engaging projection or cleat It) at one end. When the members 4 are placed side by side on members 2 with projections l0 aligned, ground cleats are formed. Members 4 are made with substantially identical holes 6 at the two ends, so that they may be disposed on their integrating members in such a manner as to form staggered ground cleats. As seen in Fig. 2, the projections ll] 'of the two end members 4 on one side of the track are aligned with the projections of the two end members at the other side of the track. The four members in between are so disposed that their aligned projections form a cleat which is staggered lengthwise of the track with respect to the cleats formed by the four end members. 7 Transverse members 4 will preferably be made by drop forging, as is well understood in the art. To conserve material and save weight, the members will be formed, preferably, with hollowed out places or voids such as at l2.

The complete track shoes are formed by passing a pivot pin l4 through each integrating member 2. A resilient bushing I6 is squeezed into the annular space between the pin and the hollow member, as is well understood by those skilled in the art. The track shoes thus formed are A track shoe of the character described, consisting of spaced identical integrating members and each elongated member being adapted to be reversed with respect to the other identical elongated members on said integrating members whereby the ground engaging portions thereof may be staggered to form a predetermined desired tread portion on the shoe with all of said ground engaging portions in alignment with one or the other of said integrating members.

HARRY A. KNOX. 

